Update: I was unfortunately not aware of Shamus Young's severe criticism of Fallout 3 available here to link in the original piece and I regret that. It dovetails rather nicely with what I've written and it's much better executed than my piece. I strongly recommend anyone...

I can't remember if we have a thread like this already but I thought it'd be something interesting to share and talk about. What's for you, an epic or favourite moment in gaming? It could be your favourite gaming moment or just something super awesome, whether it's part of a storyline or something that may have happened to you in your single or multi player experience. What makes it so epic for you?

For me, one of my most epic/favourite gaming moments, is predictably the finale of Mass Effect 2.

Possible spoilers:

"The suicide mission", what the entire storyline is leading up to, told to be a one way trip into enemy territory that requires absolutely everything Shepard and the Normandy crew have to possibly survive. I really dig how the entire game leads up to this point, and upon assaulting the Collector's base (depending on whether the Normandy and its crew survive the space battle before entering the base), you're then tasked to appoint certain team members to certain roles and positions to infiltrate the Collector's base. Picking the wrong squad member for the wrong job can result in dire consequences.

I think what really nails it for me is the soundtrack, this track in particular - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTsD2FjmLsw - around the 3:16 mark. When you're dashing through the dark corridors of the Collector base, mowing down enemy Collector's and facing off against Harbinger, to me it's a total "FUCK YEEEEAH!" kind of moment, especially when Harbinger attempts to taunt you, "I will tear you apart" etc.

Another one I liked was the final battle in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the N64, Link versus Ganon.

I love the sequence when Ganondorf reveals himself from the wreckage of the castle and changes to his true form, Ganon, then effortlessly (if not recklessly) knocks the Master Sword right from Link's hand, sending it flying across the battleground. To me, the moment when the camera is behind Link looking up toward Ganon as he roars, was one of the greatest things I've ever seen on the N64.

Music has that effect on everyone I think. A well timed music like Far Away in RDR or this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWB8P4jbsAA played when you cracked open the colossus armor in Shadows of the Colossus it somehow makes what you're doing even more epic.

I absolutely hated that part Used. And the fact that it took forever...

Probably is a bit weird having a giant metal rod shoved into your throat. Have you guys played the original Command and Conquer? To me, the most epic moment in that game was winning the game as NOD. Most satisfying ending ever.

I've probably said this somewhere on the forums before but this reminded me, Naked Snake versus The End in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. I love that fight, the epic sniper duel that takes place in a massive environment where camouflage, stealth and observation are the keys to victory. I believe this battle took me an hour to complete on my very first attempt.

And even so, there's other ways to defeat The End that you would totally not expect!

Also... I just listened to the latest GameRevolution Podcast and the music that plays at the very end sounds like something from a JRPG (possibly Final Fantasy but I could be wrong) but it reminded me of Secret of Mana but more importantly, the final boss fight in Secret of Mana - battling the Mana Beast on top of the flying Mana Fortress and restoring the Mana Sword to its full power to win the fight and save the world. Wow. I said Mana a lot.